Broken Road (21 page)

Damn him
, she thought.

“Angel will be so mad at me if I do, but yet, if this has all just been a horrible misunderstanding between the two of…” She was reluctant to continue, but dropped her head in complete defeat and said, “God, I’d hate for the two of you to miss out on a good thing simply because I was afraid of pissing her off.”

“So would I.”

Looking back up, she said rather forcefully “I just need to know a few things first. Are you and Morgan back together?”

“No, definitely not. Once we broke up, that was it. She and I are completely over.”

“Good to know. Now, I need to know another thing. Do you have feelings for Angel, or did you just pretend to be interested in her to make Morgan jealous?” At that moment, Ileana glanced across the table and caught Dave staring at her. She smiled at him and he returned her smile, but looked away quickly. His mood seemed to have changed from earlier. He seemed distant and a bit sad. She wondered what might have happened to make him feel this way when he seemed so happy and was joking endlessly just a little while ago. Slightly distracted, she returned her attention to Jarrod.

Jarrod seemed surprised by Ileana’s question. Where did that come from? “I truly have feelings, very strong feelings, for Angel. I have no reason to make Morgan jealous. I just want her out of my life forever.”

“What about payback? Did you show interest in Angel just to get back at Morgan for hurting you?” she said as she bit her lower lip in nervousness.

“No…to be honest with you, it didn’t hurt all that much when she broke up with me. I think what hurt was why she ended things. She basically didn’t have any faith in me and my ability to come back swinging, literally, after a bad car accident I was in. It was difficult because I was at the lowest point in my life and I, myself, wasn’t even sure if I would ever be able to play ball again…but losing Morgan, the person, didn’t hurt. Just her actions did. They forced me to question my own abilities.”

Ileana intensely studied his face for sincerity and unequivocally found it there. She just needed to know one more thing before she took this giant leap of faith that could possibly destroy her friendship with Angel forever.

“Tell me one more thing. Tell me about your feelings for Angel.”

He sat there looking at her quietly for a moment.

“Without going into too much detail, I can tell you this has been the worse year of my life. I’ve had to deal with loss, fear, worry, anger…you name it, I felt it. Before that night—the night I met Angel—I honestly didn’t give a shit about anything anymore. Nothing seemed to matter, or if it did matter, I felt as though it was lost to me forever. Then I met her. For some reason she made me feel like things could be better again in my life. I know it sounds crazy, especially since we only spent a few minutes together, but I just feel that if we’re not together, neither one of us will ever know or experience…that deep, intense feeling…of…of…”

She cut him off by asking in a shocked tone, “Jarrod, do you think you’re in love with her?”

He slowly blinked and raised his eyes to her and she noted that they were slightly fogged over with something she could not describe, as if he were in a trance.

“I can’t explain it. God, we only spent ten short minutes together, but you have no idea what I’d give to experience those few moments just one more time—just to spend a little more time with her. Since I got to Florida, I’ve spent whatever free time I’ve had trying to find her, but I haven’t had any luck until now.”

He paused and shook his head as if to clear it and continued by saying, “Am I in love with her? Love at first sight seems like such a cliché. I have no idea. I’ve never been in love before, so I don’t know what it feels like. What I do know is that I’ve never experienced such a strong connection toward someone, and I feel that she and I deserve the chance to explore our feelings and find out where they might lead. I feel like that opportunity was taken away from us.”

As she listened to his words, simple yet so powerful, she knew in her heart that he and Angel needed to be given that chance. She indisputably knew that what Morgan had callously stolen, she would have to give back to them. She just hoped things would work out as she anticipated and Angel would find a way of forgiving her betrayal.

“God, she’s going to be so mad at me!” she said as she closed her eyes hard and threw her head back.

Jarrod smiled, placed his hand over hers, and simply said, “Thank you.”

The band, Desperate Souls, had already been announced and was on stage ready to begin their set. They began with a startlingly good rendition of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” The patrons were all singing, shouting, and clapping in unison and the clamor reached a thunderous level.

“I think we need to go somewhere quieter to talk. How about the coffee shop across the street?” Ileana suggested loudly to be heard over the ear-piercing music.

“Good idea. Let’s go,” he agreed.

They said their quick good-byes and received looks of shock and dismay from all. Dave made a point of pulling Jarrod aside and saying, “Dude, you don’t waste time, do you?”

“Nah. It’s nothing like that…”

“Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but she’s a nice girl. I’ve gotten to know her and she’s a sweet kid. I don’t want to see her get hurt—”

“Dave, stop talking for a second and listen to me. I’m not interested in her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s very pretty and nice, but it’s her best friend I’m interested in. A lot of stuff has gone down, and I’m hoping she’ll help me try to work things out with her friend. So don’t worry. She’s in no danger of me breaking her heart or vice versa.”

Dave seemed exceedingly pleased with that bit of information. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that. Well, then…umm…good luck with everything.”

Jarrod and Ileana walked across the street and found a quiet booth in the corner of the small coffee shop. A young, pretty waitress with long dark hair pulled tight into a ponytail came over to the table to take their order.

“Hi! What can I get you tonight?” she asked with a pleasant smile.

Ileana ordered a coffee and Jarrod asked for a Coke.

“Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?” Jarrod asked.

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
How thoughtful of him to ask
, she thought. She could definitely see him and Angel together. She truly hoped she was doing the right thing and not making the mistake of a lifetime.

The waitress left to get their drinks and smiled appealingly at Jarrod as she did. Ileana didn’t miss the one-sided flirtation and instantly wondered if that happened a lot. Of course it did. Jarrod was an astonishingly good-looking guy and she was certain hundreds of girls found him completely irresistible and had probably thrown themselves at him. And yet he’d chosen Angel above them.

“First, let me start off by saying that Angel is more than just my best friend. She’s the sister my parents never gave me. I would walk through fire for her and I know she would do the same for me. That said, I want you to know that what I’m doing right now by sitting here talking to you is putting our friendship on the line. She spoke to me about you in total confidence, knowing that I would never, ever betray that confidence. Yet, here I am…”

“You’re doing it because you know that it’s the right thing to do. She’ll understand and be happy that you did,” he hoped.

“I hope you’re right. Jarrod, I usually have a good sense of people’s characters, and my first impression of you is good…but I could be wrong. There’s always a first time for everything. Please don’t make me regret doing this.”

“I won’t hurt her, if that’s what you’re worried about. On the contrary I’ll do my best to make her happy. If she lets me, that is.” He knew how hard this was for Ileana to do and wholly appreciated her bravery.

The waitress placed the coffee and soda in front of them and they thanked her. Ileana watched her walk away and then took a deep breath and said, “Here goes then…”

She began by explaining how Morgan had told Angel she was still in love with Jarrod and wanted to reconcile with him. She also told him Morgan had led Angel to believe that the sole reason Jarrod had shown any interest was because he had wanted to make Morgan jealous, while at the same time make her pay for the pain she had caused him. That thought hurt Angel beyond belief. She believed he had used her, and that was why she had chosen not to return any of his calls. She was not about to aid him further in his quest for revenge, while at the same time opening up a window that would allow her heart to be broken in the process.

Jarrod was speechless. He now understood why Angel hadn’t returned his calls and it infuriated him to know she had been hurt. He tightened and released his fists in anger and then rubbed his face in frustration.

“You okay?” Ileana asked.

“Yeah… I’m pissed off, though,” he responded heatedly.

“I can see that. My dad does the same thing when he’s frustrated.”

“Does what?”

“Rubs his face. He usually does it while paying the bills.” This comment brought an endearingly crooked half smile to Jarrod’s face.

“I’m glad you’re smiling. I was afraid that vein in your forehead was about to burst.” Ileana motioned toward the protruding vein with a nod of her head.

Jarrod immediately touched his forehead and said, “Oh yeah. That damn vein…It’s always been a dead giveaway to my moods.”

He suddenly became serious and said, “Thanks for telling me all of this, and I want you to know that everything Morgan told Angel was a lie. The absolute, one and only true reason why I showed interest in Angel is simply because
I am
interested in her. Not because I wanted to hurt or make Morgan jealous. She’ll go to no ends to get what she wants.” He got so angry that he took his fist and pounded the table.

“Take it easy, cowboy,” she said laughingly.

He leaned back in his seat and ran one hand through his hair, making it appear disheveled. The look made him appear boyishly sexy.
Angel certainly has good taste in men
, she thought to herself.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I get so angry when I think of how she manipulated Angel with her lies. It doesn’t faze her in the least bit to play with other people’s lives as if they were puppets. I mean, this is her own cousin…family…her own flesh and blood…and she couldn’t care less.”

“So, now what do we do about it?” Ileana asked gravely as she took another sip of her coffee.

He gave Ileana his most impressive and magnificent smile and said, “You get Angel to meet with me.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“I
can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ileana cried. “I swear if you two end up getting married, you better name your firstborn after me!”

“What if it’s a boy?” he said, laughing.

“You two figure something out.” She started biting her nails for the third time since Jarrod showed up.

Jarrod gently reached over to take her hand out of her mouth and said, “Nails are hard to digest.”

“These are fake, so I should have a lot to look forward to in about two hours.”

Jarrod laughed again and then said, “Tell me how you got her to meet me.”

“I didn’t tell her you were coming. In fact, I didn’t tell her anything. I just asked her to meet me here for coffee. I know, I know. I’m a spineless, yellow-bellied chicken.” She had phoned Angel that morning before classes began and asked her to meet her at four o’clock that afternoon at Java Joe’s, the same coffee shop where she and Jarrod sat together two nights ago. Of course, she hadn’t mentioned that part to Angel.

“You didn’t tell her? What if…um…”

Ileana nervously played with a lock of her long hair by continually twirling it around her forefinger, but suddenly stopped as she looked past him and opened her eyes wide.

“What if…um…nothing. Gotta go. Bye and lots of luck to you.”

She jumped up from her seat and smiled at Angel, who was waving to her. She quickly walked toward her and when face-to-face, pressed a quick peck on her left cheek, and whispered in her ear, “Last booth on the right. I’m sorry and…I love you. Now go.” And then Ileana walked briskly toward the exit, never stopping to look back.